The Mystery of the Cannhill Jewels
by quillinkparchment
Summary: Reintroducing the Five FindOuters and Dog. It's the Christmas hols and there's a new policeman in town, who's just as unpleasant as Goon. Then a new robbery occurs, with the valuable Cannhill Jewels being stolen. Can the five solve the case?
1. Chapter 1

**Re-introducing the Five Find-Outers and Dog**

**The Mystery of the Policeman**

ONE

First Up the Agenda Is…

"They _do _take forever to come," said Bets impatiently, pushing her nose up onto the window and trying to see through the fine mist that was settling over the village of Peterswood, and making the window fog.

"Oh, don't be so impatient," said her brother Pip, carefully wrapping a Christmas present. "They'll be here soon. Wrap a present while you're waiting.

"I know they'll be here soon, but they just take so long to be here," said Bets, sighing rather miserably. "And I don't want to wrap my presents— they'll all end up like lumpy packages. I'll ask Fatty to help me wrap them. He does his so beautifully and neatly. And with the nicest paper too."

"Blow! I just taped this thing wrongly," said Pip crossly. "Now I'll have to rewrap it."

"You ought to wait for Fatty to come and ask him help you do yours," said Bets absently, staring in vain through the mist.

"And have Larry and Fatty tease me? No, thank you," retorted Pip, now meticulously trying to take off the wrongly stuck tape.

"I was just trying to help you— OH! LOOK! THEY'RE HERE!" she suddenly shrieked, and then ran out of the room like a mini hurricane, knocking over Pip's half-wrapped present. Pip ran off after her and they happily greeted Daisy, Larry, Fatty and Buster in a noisy, endearing manner.

"You do look half frozen," said Bets, after boisterous greetings were exchanged.

"Come sit by the fire," said Pip, leading them to the fireplace, Buster barking excitedly and nipping playfully at their ankles.

"Now, now, Buster," chuckled Fatty, "we're not old Clear-Orf, are we?"

"Look at him run!" said Bets, laughing. "It's as if he hasn't been let out since summer!"

"Well, no one's free to take him for a walk, so he's mostly shut up in the house," said Fatty, sitting down comfortably on the sofa. "Say— anyone's seen old Clear-Orf lately? I've not seen him once since I returned two days ago."

"He's been having cold," explained Pip. "Mummy said so. She said that another officer was taking over his shift— some one called P.C. Oxley."

The five shook their heads.

"If Goon's not able to go about the village, then he won't be able to interfere with anything we're doing," said Fatty. "Oh, this _is _grand."

"I wouldn't say we won't be interfered," said Pip. "Bets and I've seen Oxley before, and he doesn't look nice. He's always sniffing the air like some bloodhound, and behaves like a—"

"Fox," said Bets solemnly. "I think his name ought to be Foxley instead of Oxley."

At this everyone else roared with laughter.

"Foxley!" said Larry. "That's one classic joke, Bets, that is."

"Speaking of jokes, that reminds me of disguises," said Fatty, his eyes twinkling. "I picked up a few of them during school term."

"How?" asked Daisy.

"Our drama master had us clear the room used for storing props and costumes, and I snuck some away from the unwanted pile," Fatty said. "So now in addition to butcher boy and telegram boy, I've got milkman and plumber outfits, and—"

"They sound smashing," said Bets, looking out of her mind with excitement. "Can we go over to your house and try them now?"

"Try what now?" came Mrs. Hilton's voice. "Hello, Frederick, Larry, Daisy. It's really good to see you three again. Bets has been going out of her mind with anticipation since she had your letters telling her what day you'll be arriving."

"Too true she has," muttered Pip, and Bets shot him a glare.

"Well, I must say, Frederick, each time I see you, it seems as though you've shot up a couple of inches! You're almost as tall as me now," said Mrs. Hilton, shaking Fatty's hand.

"Well, Mrs. Hilton, I recently took up basketball at school, and it's certainly helped me increase my height. I've been chosen to represent the school, and the coach said that I was rather good at it—"

"Show off," whispered Larry, Pip, and Daisy together, grinning. Fatty shot them a look, and Mrs. Hilton took the chance to intervene Fatty's talk.

"Larry, you've grown too. You're even taller than Fatty now. Pip's still rather small— I do hope he'll grow more."

"I _have_ grown, mummy," said Pip indignantly. "I grew half an inch since summer."

"Which isn't much," muttered Bets, and Pip shot her a glare.

"Pip! Bets!" said Mrs. Hilton sharply. "Would you five and Buster like a cup of cocoa each?"

"Oh, mummy, we were going to Fatty's and trying on his dis—"

"Shhh, Bets!" hissed Pip, Larry and Daisy together.

"De- stressing records," finished Fatty hurriedly. "Mozart, Beethovan, Haydn, and some other classical composers. They really help us to de-stress, Mrs. Hilton. Wonderful music, Mrs. Hilton. Sheer genius."

Mrs. Hilton looked rather impressed at Fatty's knowledge of music. "Beautiful music, I agree, but you five shall not go out in this weather. The mist is turning into fog, and I don't want to risk you five getting lost."

"But, mummy!" protested Pip, and he was given a look by his mother that clearly indicated "no and that is final."

"I'll go along and ask Jane to help make the cocoa," said Mrs. Hilton, and giving them a final smile, she left.

"Blow, Fatty!" said Daisy rather dejectedly. "Now we can't try out your disguises."

"Oh, it's ok, it isn't as though my disguises will disappear into thin air by tonight," said Fatty airily. "We can always plan our agenda for the hols now."

"What's agenda?" asked Bets curiously. "Is it like when you have to solve a mystery? Oooh— do you have a mystery up your sleeve?"

"No, an agenda is nothing like solving a mystery," explained Fatty patiently. "An agenda is something like planning an itinerary. Like planning what to do. For example, planning to lay tricks on Foxley."

"Can we put that on the top of our list?" asked Bets in delight. "He yelled at me just because I was looking where I was going."

"He did?" said Fatty, looking horrified. "Goodness, he must be a right miserable hag. Almost as bad as Goon, then. You are right, Bets, we ought to punish him. Let's start planning trick number one…"

The rest squealed in delight and leaned in to contribute their fair share of ideas when Mrs. Hilton suddenly came in with five mugs of cocoa on a tray. "Here you go," she said, at the door.

At once the five children withdrew from the tightly-knitted circle and began talking loudly about Christmas wish lists, and Buster barked merrily, capering about them.

Mrs. Hilton handed them the cocoa, looking at them strangely. _I do hope they haven't got anything up their sleeves. It's only been half an hour since Frederick has been here. Surely they can't have found a mystery to solve yet!_

Ah, Mrs. Hilton, they haven't. But mysteries always appear for Fatty and gang— and they will: soon enough!


	2. Chapter 2

**Mystery of the Strange Policeman**

Chapter Two

Getting to Know Foxley

One afternoon, the five and Buster were in Fatty's shed when Fatty said, "Let's go down to the village. I'd like to see this Foxley for myself." He had relatives visiting him for the past few days, and was unable to pop down to the village to take a look at the replacement policeman.

"Are you sure?" Bets asked in surprise. "You'd be scared stiff of him."

"I won't be scared of him," said Fatty airily. "I'm never scared of anyone."

"Fibber!" said Larry and Pip at once. They didn't take to Fatty's habit of boasting.

Fatty pretended not to hear. "What do you say to some macaroons at the nice tea shop? We could see if Foxley's around that area, then."

The other four children were reluctant to see the policeman, but the thought of macaroons was too tormenting. So the five and dog set off for that cosy tea shop tucked away in town.

When they got there, the policeman was nowhere to be seen, much to Fatty's disappointment. They got into the tea shop and picked a table. The shop lady came over, eyes twinkling.

"Well, what can I get for you?" she asked. "Two macaroons each?"

"Gracious, no," Fatty said, whose disappointment seemed to cause hunger. "I think we'll start off with three each, please."

"Rather!" Larry agreed. "The cold air's made me hungrier than ever."

The shop lady bustled off, and came back with fifteen macaroons. The five children attacked them at once, with Buster looking sadly at them. Halfway through, Buster couldn't stand just looking at the meal. He gave a long, soulful, heart-rending whine.

"He's hungry," said Bets. "You haven't been feeding him well, have you, Fatty?"

Fatty looked offended. "I _haven't_? Buster, I just fed you before the rest came! Four cookies, not including the one you stole from my plate!"

Buster whined and pawed at his master's feet, as if to say, "Five cookies aren't enough!"

Bets gave in to him as always, offering him the last of her third macaroon. "Three macaroons are an awful lot," she said, patting her tummy.

"Speak for yourself," said Pip, horrified. "Three's never enough. I'm ready for two more!"

"Hear, hear!" Larry and Fatty chorused, and Fatty ordered two more macaroons for each boy.

When the boys felt full at last, Fatty paid for all of them, and tipped the lady.

_Very like an adult_, thought Bets admiringly, _the way he tips the waitress._ Fatty always had relatives who had too much money to spare, so they showered him continuously with gifts of money, which Fatty welcomed.

They walked out of the shop with filled stomachs. A contented sort of feeling settled over them.

"Now where to?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know," Pip said lazily. "I don't want to go anywhere right now. I feel like a nice long snooze."

"Look, there's Foxley!" Bets said in an agonized whisper.

"Where?" Fatty's head shot up, as he looked around for the notorious policeman.

"There!" Larry jabbed his finger in the correct direction.

Foxley had a large rounded figure, though not as overbearing as Mr Goon's. His face was round, but his eyes were slitted and cunning-looking, with a long, hooked nose. He truly did, as Bets said, look like a Fox.

"I see what you mean, Bets," Fatty whispered, "he looks big and fat, but his face just reminds you of a Fox."

"Let's hurry away before he sees us," Daisy said hastily.

"Oh no," Fatty said. "Run away from that policeman? Certainly not I!"

"Well, what are _you_ going to do then? Stay here and stare at him till his duty ends?" Pip asked crossly.

"I'm going to strike a conversation with him now," said Fatty, "and get to know him better. S'long!" He waved merrily at them and headed for the policeman, leaving Buster in their care.

"Isn't he _brave_," Bets marveled, her eyes never leaving Fatty's back.

"I'd try mental," Larry muttered. "C'mon, let's go hide somewhere and spy on them."

They crept to the wall and began to edge towards the tall shrubs behind where Fatty and Foxley were speaking. It took awhile, but soon they were uncomfortably squashed up behind several large plants.

"…I heard Mr. Goon's ill," came Fatty's sympathetic voice. "We are very sorry to hear about it. How long will you be staying here?"

"Till Mr. Goon gets well," Foxley grunted in an unfriendly manner. "And Mr. Goon did warn me about you. Ha! I saw you with those four other kids and your dog just now, don't think I didn't. Mr. Goon told me you were an unpleasant lot."

"We are?" Fatty said in a hurt tone. "I can't imagine why Mr. Goon would think of that. We were only trying to help, you see."

"I don't see," said Foxley rather rudely, "and could you please go away? Distracting me from my duty like that, you're a menace."

"Right," said Fatty, raising his cap politely. "I'll see you around soon, Mr. Foxley."

"What was that?" Foxley asked in anger.

"What?" Fatty said innocently. The children giggled slightly, finding the situation both funny and worrying.

"You called me Foxley, I heard you!" the policeman fumed.

Fatty frowned as if in thought. "No, I've never called you that," he said in a smooth voice, "perhaps you ought to get your hearing checked. Goodbye, Mr. OXLEY." And he gave the enraged policeman a cheeky wink before leaving.

**A/N: **This story has been on hiatus for very long, and I hope you guys will take the time to read it. Thanks (:


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